Prophylaxis With Cephalothin in Peritoneal Dialysis

From the Division of Infectious Diseases and Renal Disease, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York, New York (Drs. Axelrod, Meyers, and Hirschman), and the Renal Section, Department of Medicine, Veterans Administration Hospital, Bronx, New York (Dr. Stein).

The efficacy of cephalothin sodium, added to dialysis fluids, as prophylaxis against infection during peritoneal dialysis was tested in a random double-blind study of 95 dialyses performed in 36 patients. Although the two cases of clinical peritonitis observed occurred in the placebo group, this observation was not statistically significant. The number of positive cultures obtained from the dialysate returns, however, was significantly greater in the placebo group. The duration of the dialysis did not correlate with the finding of bacteria in the dialysate returns or with the development of clinical peritonitis.